Either from the consciousness, however, that his friend had recovered, or from other consciousness, he went no farther; and Anne who, in spite of the agitated voice in which the latter part had been uttered, and in spite of all the various noises of the room, the almost ceaseless slam of the door, and ceaseless buzz of persons walking through, had distinguished every word, was struck, gratified, confused, and beginning to breathe very quick, and feel an hundred things in a moment.  It was impossible for her to enter on such a subject; and yet, after a pause, feeling the necessity of speaking, and having not the smallest wish for a total change, she only deviated so far as to say—­

“You were a good while at Lyme, I think?”

“About a fortnight.  I could not leave it till Louisa’s doing well was quite ascertained.  I had been too deeply concerned in the mischief to be soon at peace.  It had been my doing, solely mine.  She would not have been obstinate if I had not been weak.  The country round Lyme is very fine.  I walked and rode a great deal; and the more I saw, the more I found to admire.”

“I should very much like to see Lyme again,” said Anne.

“Indeed!  I should not have supposed that you could have found anything in Lyme to inspire such a feeling.  The horror and distress you were involved in, the stretch of mind, the wear of spirits!  I should have thought your last impressions of Lyme must have been strong disgust.”

“The last hours were certainly very painful,” replied Anne; “but when pain is over, the remembrance of it often becomes a pleasure.  One does not love a place the less for having suffered in it, unless it has been all suffering, nothing but suffering, which was by no means the case at Lyme.  We were only in anxiety and distress during the last two hours, and previously there had been a great deal of enjoyment.  So much novelty and beauty!  I have travelled so little, that every fresh place would be interesting to me; but there is real beauty at Lyme; and in short” (with a faint blush at some recollections), “altogether my impressions of the place are very agreeable.”

As she ceased, the entrance door opened again, and the very party appeared for whom they were waiting.  “Lady Dalrymple, Lady Dalrymple,” was the rejoicing sound; and with all the eagerness compatible with anxious elegance, Sir Walter and his two ladies stepped forward to meet her.  Lady Dalrymple and Miss Carteret, escorted by Mr Elliot and Colonel Wallis, who had happened to arrive nearly at the same instant, advanced into the room.  The others joined them, and it was a group in which Anne found herself also necessarily included.  She was divided from Captain Wentworth.  Their interesting, almost too interesting conversation must be broken up for a time, but slight was the penance compared with the happiness which brought it on!  She had learnt, in the last ten minutes, more of his feelings towards Louisa, more of all his feelings than she dared to think of; and she gave herself up to the demands of the party, to the needful civilities of the moment, with exquisite, though agitated sensations.  She was in good humour with all.  She had received ideas which disposed her to be courteous and kind to all, and to pity every one, as being less happy than herself.